James was born Jamesetta Hawkins in Los Angeles, California, on 25th January 1938, to an unmarried fourteen-year-old mother, Dorothy Hawkins. According to Etta, her mother claimed that her father was the white Rudolph "Minnesota Fats" Wanderone, and that they received financial support from him on the condition that they keep his paternity a secret. This seems unlikely, though it has not been definitively disproved. Etta was born in Los Angeles in 1938. At the time, Wanderone was known to be managing a pool hall in Washington, D.C. and had not yet become known to be the cross-country traveller he later became.
She received her first professional vocal training at five years old from James Earle Hines, musical director of the Echoes of Eden choir at St Paul Baptist Church in Los Angeles. Her family moved to San Francisco in 1950, and she teamed up with two other girls to form a doo-wop singing group. When the girls were fourteen, band leader Johnny Otis had them audition. They sang an answer to Hank Ballard's "Work with Me, Annie" called "Roll Wwth Me Henry". Otis particularly liked the song, and against her mother's wishes, James and the trio went to Los Angeles to record the song in 1954. The song was recorded on the label Modern Records. By this time, the trio renamed the song "The Wallflower (Dance with Me, Henry)" and released it in 1955. James named her vocal group The Peaches. Richard Berry, a Los Angeles doo-wop luminary, is featured on some of their records.
"The Wallflower" reached number two on the rhythm and blues charts in February 1955, but was undercut in the wider market by a rushed-out cover version by Georgia Gibbs on Mercury Records; in fact, the very first time Gibbs was recorded in studio, they used the first take recorded and it became number one on the top 100 songs nationally. The song's royalties were divided between Hank Ballard, Etta James, and Johnny Otis, and its huge success attracted the attention of the R&B world, resulting in James going on tour with Little Richard. On the tour, though, according to James, she witnessed and experienced situations to which minors are not usually privy, and she allegedly acquired a drug habit.
Soon after the success of "Wallflower", The Peaches and James parted company, but this did not halt her career. Shecontinued to record and release albums throughout much of the decade, and enjoyed more success. Her follow-up, "Good Rockin' Daddy", became another fifties hit. Other songs however, such as "Tough Lover" and "W-O-M-A-N" failed to gain any significant success. James toured with Johnny "Guitar" Watson and Otis Redding in the fifties, and has cited Watson as the most significant influence on her style..
In 1960, James signed a recording contract with Chess Records. She went on to have the biggest success of her career from this label, recording her biggest and most memorable hits. Chess went into high gear with James, releasing many duets with her then boyfriend, the married Harvey Fuqua, who was the lead singer of the Moonglows. One of her duets with Fuqua, "If I Can't Have You", became a hit on the R&B charts in 1960. As a solo artist however, she had more enduring success. One of her first singles released by Chess in 1960 was called "All I Could Do Was Cry"; this blues number became a big hit on the R&B charts in 1960. Leonard Chess, one of the founders of Chess Records, helped James along the way. He saw the potential for her to go in a more pop-oriented direction, and she started recording more pop tunes for the label.
The year 1961 became a year of great change for James. In 1961 came the release of one of her first pop-oriented tunes called "At Last". The song became a big hit in 1961, reaching number two on the R&B charts. The song even went as far as twenty-two on the pop charts that year. It became her signature song. Other songs, such as "Trust in Me", also became hits, and the 1962 tune "Something's Got a Hold On Me" showed more of James' gospel side, a genre she had sung since childhood.
She had other big hits in the 1960s, but mainly on the R&B charts: the song "Pushover" in 1963 and "Stop the Wedding", "Fool That I Am", and "Don't Cry Baby", were hits for her between 1961 and 1963. Her 1963 album Etta James Rocks the House, recorded at Nashville's "New Era" club, also gave her career a boost. James then became one of the most successful R&B artists of the 1960s, having many more top ten and top twenty hit singles. Performing in Memphis, Tennessee helped make her into a blues icon.
In 1967, James released her next hit single, "Tell Mama", and it became a top ten hit on the R&B charts. After a dry period of no hits for almost four years, the song once more made James a household name. The follow-up, "Security", was also a success, and proved that James had staying power on the charts again. Whilst less success came for James after this hit, she was still on the charts regularly and, despite the death of Leonard Chess, stayed with the Chess label into 1975. Towards the end of the Chess years though, she went into more rock-based songs. She recorded for many other labels, and continued to release albums, such as 1978's Deep In the Night on Atlantic Records.
Despite a dry period during the early to mid 1980s, James got back on track and began to record music again. She received accolades for her 1981 rendition of Randy Newman's "God's Song". Her 1988 album Seven Year Itch proved this comeback capability; the album showed more of her soul side. In 1989, she recorded the song "Avenue D" with David A. Stewart of Eurythmics. The song was featured on the soundtrack to the Robert Wise film Rooftops. She also performed with the Grateful Dead for two shows in 1982. In the 1990s she continued to record and perform. Her albums widely varied in styles and genres. Her 1992 album, The Right Time, was another soul album that was released by Elektra Records. She also began to record more jazz, which became the style for many of her 1990s albums.
Drug-related and romantic problems interfered with her career, but James managed to maintain a career throughout the latter half of the twentieth century. Later in life, she struggled with obesity, experiencing mobility and knee problems. In 2003, she underwent gastric bypass surgery.
In 2011, a vocal sample from Etta's "Something's Got a Hold on Me" was used in "Levels" by Avicii. "Levels" became a monster EDM hit, making Etta's "sometimes I get a good feeling" one of the most recognizable samples in 21st century music.
She died on 20th January 2012.
It's a Crying Shame
Etta James Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Cry, Cry in shame yes, yes, yes
You said you didn't wanna love somebody else
If you won't loving me ooh baby, yeah don't you know you did me wrong yeah
You kiss and you cheat like you hold them
No telling what you might have them will approve
Cry, Cry in shame yeah
You said you didn't wanna talk to nobody
Unless you was talking to me oh, oh,
Oh yes you talking about what you see right now
You smile and you started winking
And I know just what you were thinking now you do
If you believe in a better world
I guess to me I'm turning back my hands uptie
Baby if our love make you feel
I will get together for the on down the line
But for now it's a crime in chain, crime in chain
But for now it's a crime in chain yeah
You said you didn't wanna be smacking on nobody else
If you weren't kissing me but (you)*5 kiss everybody it seems
You did it, forget it, admit it, let's quit it yeah, yeah with who?
You lied, you cheated now
I'm getting so darn god tired of being misunderstood
Now with who?
Cry, Cry in shame (yeah)
Cry, Cry in shame (yeah)
Cry, Cry in shame (yeah)
Cry, Cry in shame (yeah)
Cry, Cry in shame oh yes now right now
Cry, Cry in shame (cry)
Cry, Cry in shame (cry)
Cry, Cry in shame (cry)
Cry, Cry in shame (cry)
Cry, Cry in shame
The lyrics of "It's a Crying Shame" by Etta James are a powerful expression of the pain and frustration of being in a relationship with someone who cannot commit. The singer of the song is expressing her displeasure with her partner's behavior, accusing him of lying, cheating, and being unfaithful. She tells him that he has done her wrong by kissing and cheating on her and that his behavior is a "crime in chain." She implores him to admit his mistake and stop being unfaithful, warning him of the shame he will feel if he continues.
The repetition of the phrase "cry, cry in shame" serves to emphasize the singer's frustration and disappointment with her partner's lack of commitment. The lyrics also reveal a sense of resignation and disappointment on the part of the singer, who is coming to terms with the fact that her partner may never be faithful to her.
In terms of the music, the song features a bluesy, soulful sound with a driving rhythm section and powerful vocals from James. The overall effect is one of raw emotion and intensity, as James channels the pain and frustration of the singer into her performance.
Overall, "It's a Crying Shame" is a powerful song about the challenges of love and commitment, and the pain and disappointment that can accompany a relationship that is not built on trust and fidelity.
Line by Line Meaning
Cry, Cry in shame, shame
Express your sorrow and remorse, acknowledging your wrongdoing and the shame you feel.
Cry, Cry in shame yes, yes, yes
Repeated expression of the shame and guilt that is being felt.
You said you didn't wanna love somebody else
You claimed that you didn't want to love anyone other than me.
If you won't loving me ooh baby, yeah don't you know you did me wrong yeah
If you are not going to love me, then you have wronged me.
You kiss and you cheat like you hold them
You kiss other people and cheat on me as if you own them or have the right to do so.
No telling what you might have them will approve
Nobody knows what you might have done with them and it's unlikely that anyone would approve of your behavior.
You said you didn't wanna talk to nobody
You claimed that you didn't want to talk to anyone else.
Unless you was talking to me oh, oh
Unless you were talking to me, specifically.
Oh yes you talking about what you see right now
You are talking about what you see happening right now.
You smile and you started winking
You smile and start winking, indicating something beyond the conversation.
And I know just what you were thinking now you do
I know exactly what you were thinking and now you do too.
If you believe in a better world
If you have hope for a better world.
I guess to me I'm turning back my hands uptie
To me, it feels like I'm turning back time, trying to recapture what we once had.
Baby if our love make you feel
If our love makes you feel a certain way.
I will get together for the on down the line
We can get back together at some point in the future.
But for now it's a crime in chain, crime in chain
For now, our relationship is a shameful burden or commitment.
But for now it's a crime in chain yeah
Reiterating that our relationship is currently a burden or commitment.
You said you didn't wanna be smacking on nobody else
You claimed that you didn't want to be kissing or showing affection to anyone else.
If you weren't kissing me but (you)*5 kiss everybody it seems
But it seems like you are kissing or showing affection to everyone except me.
You did it, forget it, admit it, let's quit it yeah, yeah with who?
You did it, so admit it and let's move on, but also with whom have you been doing this?
You lied, you cheated now
You have lied and cheated in our relationship.
I'm getting so darn god tired of being misunderstood
I am becoming extremely exhausted and fatigued by constantly being misunderstood.
Now with who?
Asking again, now with whom have you been doing this?
Cry, Cry in shame (yeah)
Expressing again and again the shame and guilt being felt.
Cry, Cry in shame (cry)
Repeating the expression of shame, now with the added action of crying.
Cry, Cry in shame (cry)
Repeating the expression of shame, now with the added action of crying.
Cry, Cry in shame (cry)
Repeating the expression of shame, now with the added action of crying.
Cry, Cry in shame (cry)
Repeating the expression of shame, now with the added action of crying.
Cry, Cry in shame oh yes now right now
Expressing again and again the shame and guilt being felt.
Lyrics © BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
Written by: ETTA JAMES, HARVEY FUQUA
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Erik brodland
on I Just Want to Make Love to You
Love this song so much, it makes me think of my son's Beautiful mommy jasmin and her amazing.voice.